So today for class, we went to Bercy. Bercy is on the Eastern edge of Paris and it used to be the industrial center of the city. It is now home to the Ministry of Finances, the Palais Omnisports de Paris (a sports arena/concert hall), and the new Bibliothèque national de France.
All day I’ve been trying to figure out if I like this modern Paris and I’ve come to the conclusion that I like the idea of it. I like that it keeps the Haussmannian rules of the older Paris but it does so with modern architecture.
The main reason that I don’t really like it is that it does not feel established. So I know that people live, work, shop, and eat there, but it didn’t seem like they did. Some parts felt almost kind of dead. Maybe if I went back in the early evening it might feel different.
